Does The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes Have A Post-Credits Scene?

Contains spoilers for "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes"

By the end of "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes," viewers will have seen another bloodbath with teenagers duking it out, as well as the descent into depravity from the central villain of the original series — Coriolanus Snow, played by Tom Blyth in the prequel. As with the other entries in the franchise, the film leaves a lot for fans to ruminate on, and it's natural for people to want to sit there once the credits roll to collect their thoughts. But is there a post-credits scene worth waiting around for? 

"The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" does not have a post-credits scene, which does make sense. Like the original films, this movie is based on a book written by Suzanne Collins. However, this one is a standalone story (for the moment) as opposed to a trilogy, so there's nothing else to hint at for the time being. The film shows Snow's time as a mentor for the 10th annual Hunger Games and how his relationship with Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) set him on a path to become the dangerous man we met for the first time in "The Hunger Games."

Anyone who decides to stay through the credits of "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" will be treated to new music from Olivia Rodrigo. Her song, "Can't Catch Me Now," plays over the credits, but there isn't any additional footage. This is in line with the franchise so far. None of "The Hunger Games" movies had post-credits scenes, which is probably for the best.

"The Hunger Games" films have dark themes for being PG-13 movies. A post-credits scene featuring a cameo or teasing what's to come in the next installment may have cheapened the messaging a bit. And as mentioned before, in the case of "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes," there are no additional movies on the horizon to tease. Suzanne Collins could always write another book, or "The Hunger Games" could move beyond the novels and start cranking out original films set within that universe. With positive reviews, including from Looper's own Alistair Ryder, and a projected opening weekend box office gross north of $100 million, there could very well be more Hunger Games in the future. 

Next up for the franchise is a stage play coming to London in 2024. After that, the sky's the limit, with the franchise able to soar as high as a mockingjay.